Customer Reviews

ProForm Power 995 Treadmill (2012 Model)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bought this treadmill a year ago for $999 and was worth every penny. Extra long belt, backed by lifetime warranty, commercial motor, great sounding speaker, fan etc. The iFit live is an extra $100, not included, for the wireless adapter. Assembly took me about 2hrs and you will need someone to help you. Read instructions carefully as you need to screw in some bolts in the beginning but not tighten them until the very end. This will make a difference on how sturdy the machine is. Also delivery was curbside only for me so be prepared to drag this extremely heavy box from the curb. Great investment and this model compares to treadmills twice the price. Happy running!

Bought on Amazon for $799 when it was on a one day sale with free shipping. Delivered as promised between 12-3pm by Ceva - they placed the box inside the house by the front door. I immediately noticed that the box was quite banged up - made a note of that in the delivery receipt. Pushing it to the gym room on the same floor took some effort - the box is heavy, even though it was tiled flooring the whole way.

Upon opening I discovered some broken pieces of black plastic, and some of the wooden supporting blocks inside the box (to help protect the insides by maintaining box integrity) had shifted or completely dislocated, and I noticed the damage to the plastic parts, especially the right foot-rail and the lower back cover. I called support, who called back in a few hours later and were very helpful. Since the damaged parts looked external, non-structural and the damage was cosmetic, I proceeded to assemble the unit. Support helped me in determining what the parts numbers were for the cracked plastic, and have shipped them already. If I won't be able to figure out how to replace them (looks easy) they'll send a tech over. All under warranty obviously.

Took me 3 hours assemble at a very leisurely pace, with a lunch break. I wish I had some help when installing the console as it's awkward to do by just one person. I recommend 2 people to make it smoother, but I was able to do it myself.
I had ordered the iFIt Live module separately from Amazon for just over a hundred bucks, and got that configured and going in 30 minutes. I have a PC attached to a TV and a wireless router in the gym, and it's kind of cool to see a live view of progress through maps. iFit is a little confusing to configure and use in my opinion, but is truly cool. I suspect that the novelty is going to wear off, especially after the 1-year fre membership is over. :)

The treadmill itself is a good and comfortable size. All seems to work well based on my near zero previous knowledge of treadmills. I like the treadmill a LOT better than the elliptical I have - get more of an endorphine high after a walk or a run on it than I do on the elliptical.

Two potential issues: the inclines are great, but I the belt speed goes up - I think due to gravity of legs pushing down on it in addition to the motor moving it. That surprised me - at a 15% uphill, speed shows 2.5Mph, and belt reflects that if you keep your feet off the belt and on the foot rails, but the belt speeds up as soon as you start walking on it. All of a sudden you are scrambling uphill instead of walking uphill. Secondly, the belt makes a whining/whistling noise which is louder than I expected.

The folding up and down seems fairly useful, stable, and smooth.

Overall a great deal and seems to be a treadmill of really good quality, and so far I'd say great support. I cam considering getting the extended warranty for 4 years for $149.

I'll updated this review if my opinions and experiences change.

I am prefacing this review with the facts that I purchased this item, assembled it myself, and have used it myself for about a week on this first writing. I may add to the review over time.

Shipping:
Item arrived in great shape delivered inside my home, great job! The box is very large and extremely heavy - be careful!

Unpacking:
I had them deliver the item into the room where I was going to use it - make sure you have ample space to receive the large box and assemble. I cut open the box and left the very long treadmill on top of the bottom of the box, but be very careful as there are several components including the electronics packed underneath. Get those parts out of the way before assembly.

Note you can put this together somewhere else then move it, but its large, cumbersome, and awkward to roll around although possible.

Assembly:
Once I reviewed the bolts and screws, even though some bolts are referred to as screws, it wasn't difficult to put together relatively speaking. Some of the holes are very difficult to get started so expect to apply some muscle. I did this myself except for two parts that I needed a second hand - the electronic panel and the locking bar. The panel is not easy to get positioned, you have to slide it into two brackets on either side then fit it into the half of the bottom bar. Its not impossible but having another pair of hands to assist with this as you get the bolts into place will definitely help a lot. The locking bar part, well, you don't want the upright treadmill to fall on your head while you bolt it into place so have someone help you. In both cases you don't need someone with a lot of strength to assist.

Take your time, make sure you are using the correct parts. Everything is labeled left and right so pay attention to the stickers. Be careful with the wire that runs up to the electronic panel so you don't pinch it on anything. I thought it very clever of them to provide a wire to run the cable through the side bar so you can tie and pull the electronic cable through it, so be sure not to pull it out without the electronic cable attached to it.

Operation:
I have a much older Proform that is a very basic model this one is replacing. The difference was like night and day, it just feels much better to walk on. I'm sure the shocks they provide help make that difference, but overall it is more solid and feels more dependable. Definitely an improvement.

If this is your first treadmill I'd suggest using manual controls to start, so you can control the speed and incline until you ar ready. I have not sampled every one of the built in programs but for example, the 200 calorie burn in 20 minutes has you running at one point at 5 mph. You can change this using the manual controls but the point is if you're going manual any way, take your time and just adjust them yourself.

The first interval program was better for me as the speed doesn't go over 3.5 and it utilizes the automatic incline changes, which I liked.

One thing I do not like about the built-in programs is they zero out the calories when finished. I may not be done in 20 minutes so will either start another program or continue manually, but the treadmill will come to a complete stop before I can start again, and the calories goes to 0 so I have to remember where I left off and add that to the new counter. It would be much nicer to keep a running count of all calories used in one session before powering off the unit.

Using the heart monitor doesn't seem to work every time, but I may be grasping it incorrectly. Will keep testing that.

The fan is nice but I'm finding after several minutes of quiet operation it begins making a lot of noise. Not sure if something is wrong with the fan, will monitor and contact the manufacturer if it continues.

The iPod connection is very nice, I tested that with my iPhone and it plays great sounding music.

The locking bar works great - its pneumatic so although you do need to lift it up and help it down, the process is very smooth and it will not slam into the ground if you slip.

I have ordered the iFit module which I'm looking forward to using.

Summary:
This is a great treadmill that is very solid and offers a lot of advanced features.

First review ever written.
1. Ordered ProForm 995 Treadmill through Amazon and delivery was arranged and item was delivered on time.
2. Assembly took about 2 hours as other reviewers said was common.
3. Treadmill worked for 2 to 10 seconds and would then flip my circuit breakers. (House is 1 year old)
4. Tried other circuits with no other items plugged in, and my breakers still flipped.
5. Used specified surge protector.
6. I tried calling ProForm service and spent 1 hour and 45 minutes on hold and still no answer...
7. While on hold with ProForm service, I called Amazon and scheduled a return for the ProForm 995 treadmill
8. I completed the call to Amazon and was still on hold with ProForm service.
9. While on still on hold with ProForm service, I called ProForm sales to see how long until a live voice answered... 7 minutes (not bad, compared to almost 2 hours for service).
10. I advised the ProForm sales rep of my experience and advised I would not purchase a Proform item again. The sales rep asked if there was anything else, and then hung up.
11. After that call I noticed I was STILL on hold with Proform Service.
12. Love Amazon... Proform, not so much!

I received the ProFrom 995 from Amazon without any problems. It took about 3 hours to assemble the treadmill by myself with a little assistance from my wife with the Console installation. One of the screws that attaches the left upright to the base would not screw in all the way so I decided to contact customer service. That is where it all went downhill. I called customer service the first time and spent an hour on hold before hanging up. The second time I called customer service I chose the option to have them return my call and two hours later I received a call from ProForm. The rep that called me said I needed to register the machine first and one of the questions she asked was how much I paid for the machine. When I asked her why she needed to know how much I paid for the machine she stated that if they had to replace the machine it would be based on the price that I paid for the machine and not necessarily a comparable machine. The customer service rep also told me that if the replacement screw that she is ordering for me does not screw in properly then I would have to contact Amazon because the frame may have been damaged during the delivery process.

I also told the representative the the heart rate monitor does not work properly and she told me that the heart rate monitor gives three different readings, a low, a high and a middle. She says that the heart rate monitor is not designed to be accurate and if I am interested in getting an accurate reading then I should use a separate and dependable heart rate monitor. The price for the treadmill was a good price and the reviews on the internet regarding this brand of treadmills are good but the customer service is the worst I have dealt with and given the opportunity I would not purchase another product from this company. Not recommended.

The installation process is OK. As long as you follow the manual, it just takes time.

The annoying thing is that after I put it all together, I find that the incline control does not work at all. The display shows change when choosing different inclines, but indeed it does not change at all. I read the manual again, and find that I skip one step, which is before putting on the barrel and foot at the bottom, I need to connect the power, turn it on and press the incline once. So I uninstall the barrel and foot, turn it on and follow the manual. I am confused with the saying on the manual that once the frame stops moving, remove the key. I believe the "frame" here means the frame, not the belt, as the belt will not stop at all after start. Disappointingly, even I follow the manual, the incline still does not work. The product I receive seems to be a defective one.

I also want to mention that lifting the frame does not set it upright steady. I do not hear any click. It tends to fall down slowly and it indeed does.

It arrived on time in a big box. Wasnt to hard to follow the directions and put together. Works like a champ.

This is an excellent treadmill even compared to more expense models. There are some bells and whistles that I probably will never use.

General comments -
The deck is very long for running on which is great. The fan and built in speakers are OK but I really don't have a need to use them. I'm sure that the ifit capability is probably good though I don't really have a need to use it. Just the ease of increasing/decreasing the speed and incline works perfectly for me. It took about 2 hours to completely assemble. The box is extremely heavy. Even if you open the box and carry the items separately (from the garage to wherever you'll use the treadmill), the deck itself will require at least two people to move.

The Proform Power 995 is a very good treadmill. We've had several others in the past, and this one is certainly one of the best... solid, smooth, and runs without the belt stalling. Time will tell how the reliability is, but the company has a decent reputation for making quality products.

The $799 price point makes this purchase MUCH more palatable.

Not worth more than $799 in my opinion and difficult to make the purchase at $999 after seeing the $799 price.